[Xu Song Vae] Qingming Rain

Qingming Rain\Encyclopedia Entry\"Qingming Rain," included in Vae (Xu Song)'s first album "Self-Defined," is a song where Vae extensively uses traditional Chinese musical instruments, blending them with modern elements like hip-hop beats and electric piano. The multi-layered string arrangements are just right, creating a perfect East-meets-West fusion. The melody rises and falls dramatically, grand and magnificent, though the singing is quite challenging, which may affect its popularity. The retro-style lyrics mourning a lover are exquisitely sorrowful, slowly flowing through Vae's vocal tone, truly full of endless grief.\Basic Information\[Image] Song: Qingming Rain\Singer: Xu Song\Lyricists: An Qi, Xu Song\Composer: Xu Song\Arranger: Xu Song\Recording & Mixing: Xu Song\Album: Self-Defined\Release Date: January 10, 2009\Recording Company: Wei Yi Cultural Communication Company\Song Description\Whether it is Vae's online releases like "Nanshan Memories," "Broken Bridge Remaining Snow," "Luzhou Moon," or this song "Qingming Rain," one can glimpse his skilled command of classical poetry and writing. The theme of this retro-style song is very special—mourning. During the creative process, Vae also incorporated friends' feedback, carefully deliberating, with the production lasting over two months. The lyrics are extremely rhymed and easy to sing. In short, it is indeed a work worth listening to, rarely experienced. The title mentions a rain, which aptly connects the deceased with the living, heaven with the mortal world, bringing together two unrelated people and places. The raindrops seem like a bridge linking the dead and the living, also pulling the living back to those cherished past moments, evoking deep sorrow.\Eastern Vase, Western Mirror: Regretfully Cannot Forget: In the old times, in the living room of a home, a ceremonial table was set up with an "Eastern Vase, Western Mirror" arrangement, meaning a vase on the east side, a mirror on the west, and a clock in the middle, symbolizing eternal peace and calm. For coordination, porcelain hat holders were often placed on both sides of the clock. Local men would remove their hats and place them on the hat holders when returning home or visiting neighbors, showing the demeanor of a refined scholar… These are also important components of Huizhou culture and folk customs.Here, the phrase 'hateful that I cannot forget' expresses the bitterness of hating oneself for being unable to forget past matters. Combined with the earlier reference to 'eastern vase and western mirror,' the intended meaning is that although the protagonist tries to live a calm life and hide inner pain, they still cannot erase the regret of losing their beloved and can only wander every day, offering chrysanthemums during the Qingming season as a tribute. In fact, interpreting the 'folding chrysanthemums' in the last line 'fold chrysanthemums and send them to you' as a 'mistake' is a misunderstanding of VAE's meaning. The 'fold' in 'fold chrysanthemums' here does not mean 'pluck,' but can be understood as 'folding.' Actually, the protagonist in the song folds paper chrysanthemums for a deceased lover and places them on her grave to express longing.

Lyrics:
Windows let in the first light, sunlight on the west bridge, clouds sway on their own
Thinking of you, back when the breeze on lotus leaves flicked your clothes
Carved wood glimmers with gold, ripples of time, seven years ago pens were sealed
Because in this life, I write only for you
Rain wets my eyes, year after year I lean by the well, wishing for your return
The most fearful thing is not realizing tears have fallen in two streams
I wander in the human world, unable to find your heaven
Eastern vase and western mirror, letting go, hateful that I cannot forget
Again, in the Qingming rain, I fold chrysanthemums and send them to you
Gently sing your favorite song
In the distance, a zither, serenely empty, each sound urging the heaven's rain
Little streams of thoughts I tell only myself
Moon shadows flicker, layers of fireworks, candleflowers red
Old dreams of the mortal world, broken dreams all turn to nothing
Rain wets my eyes, year after year I lean by the well, wishing for your return
The most fearful thing is not realizing tears have fallen in two streams
I wander in the human world, unable to find your heaven
Eastern vase and western mirror, let go, hateful that I cannot forget
Again, in the Qingming rain, I fold chrysanthemums and send them to you
Gently sing your favorite song
I wander in the human world, unable to find your heaven
Eastern vase and western mirror, let go, hateful that I cannot forget
Again, in the Qingming rain, I fold chrysanthemums and send them to you
Gently sing your favorite song